Once upon a time it was the most award winning Pizza Port beer of all time. Now it has found a new home at The Lost Abbey.

A massive brown ale base that is made from four fermentable sugars including Malted Barley, Raisins, Candi Sugar and Sour Cherries, this beer is fully fermented before being placed in Bourbon barrels where the beer ages for one year with the Sour Cherries and the wild Brettanomyces yeast that we inoculate the barrels with.

S. A bit musty, lots of oak, some fruity sweetness, and no hint of booze.

T&m. Initially a nice cherry tartness wakes up the taste buds, accompanied by just a hint of funk. There is a tannic oaky aftertaste that dries out the sweetness and balances everything. The bourbon at this point on this older bottle is almost imperceptable. Very well hidden alcohol at 11%. A nice balanced carbonation lets the flavors do the talking.

D. Like most wilds, a little bit goes a long way, but this is one I wouldn't mind sipping for quite a while. Very nice and worth seeking out.

More User Reviews:

Pours a murky dark brown color with no head. An oily film develops on the top of the beer and there is some floating sediment that sinks to the bottom of the glass. There is no lacing whatsoever. Smells of vinegar, sour cherries, and funk/must. Taste is of sour cherries, malt vinegar, wood, and funk/must. There is an alcohol presence in the throat after each sip. There is no carbonation on this beer. Extremely flat and somewhat drying in the mouth. Overall, this is a nice smelling and tasting beer but the appearance and mouthfeel kill it for me. This would be awesome if the carbonation issue were fixed. Disappointing for the $15.99 I paid for the small bottle.

The smell is complex and balanced with notes of brett, sour cherries, grass, mud and malts. A hint of vanilla in the nose as well.

The flavor is tart with pleasant cherry notes, funky brett, grass and some liqueur-like fruity notes. Lightly sweet malts and notes of wood in the foundation. The finish is dry and lightly bitter with notes of wood, cherries and just a hint of alcohol.

Medium body and well balanced carbonation.

A really good beer. Complex, interesting and tasty - what more can you ask for?

First sip is rich sweet dark malts enveloped in a mix of tart cherries and raisins. Big sourness along with woody oak tannins and a nice funk throughout. Interplay between sweet and sour all the way down. Not as acidic as the '08. Touch of vanilla and brown sugar on the finish. Damn good.

Mouthfeel is very mellow carbonation but it works well...body is good and well placed. Each sip leads to the next and the alcohol provides some warming. I'm enjoying this vintage.

2008 vintage. 375ml corked bottle. Pours into my tulip glass a deep dark, hazy cola brown color with a small light tan head on top that fades to a ring. Aromas start out with rich, intoxicating malts. Somewhat roasted with caramel, vanilla and raisins. Cherries are big in the nose alongside a tart funkiness with mild vinegar. Brown sugar and oak nuances with light bourbon.

First sip brings roasted, dark malts upfront with notes of caramel and vanilla. Raisins make quite an appearance as well. The middle brings a melding of sour cherries, oak tannins and a tart, somewhat funky brett aspect. Flows down with a whisper of bourbon and finishes quite dry with lingering cherry tones and a tart afterthought. Alcohol is nowhere to be found. A deeply multi-layered taste experience.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied with a smooth airy quality about it. Good carbonation all the way through. This is somewhat more acidic, with more woody tannins than the original black label bottles I've drank. Overall though, it's still a very tasty treat and I'm glad to have had the chance to sample this year's version. Cheers to Lost Abbey and the Sinner's Club.

Poures into delerium tulip. Looks dark and slightly murky with tones of brown black and carmel. Not to sticky on the glass, light, and definately sour..taste is cherry and chocolate rounded out by a good malt presence, very light mouthfeel for a quad based beer..this beer puckers the toungue with fruity flavors such as cherry and citrus, with the hops displyed on the finish...airee and dry. Carbonation is medium, which I like to go with this dry beer..This is a great 11% barrel aged beer. Some sours just dont pack the abv, and I can't drink more than 22oz of "sour-beer", so this one boads well for me. This with pizza, sherp aged hard yellow cheese, salty food.

The beer pours dark red/brown/black, depending on how it is held to the light. The only signs of head is the slight ring around the edge. Aromas of black cherry (comes of Jolly Rancher-ish), soy sauce, slight musty basement, and a touch of alcohol. The flavor is nice and fruity. Loads of tart cherry and plums. Warm alcoholic finish. Silk and oil over the palate. Moderate carbonation. This is less like a beer and more of a wine or high end liquor. Thanks a million Mike.

2008 Version, 375mL bottle: Color is very dark red with a beige colored head that recedes to a ring around the glass. Smell of acetic acid, cherries, caramel, oak, dark fruits, and brown sugar. Taste is sour with cherry pits, maple, bourbon, dark fruit, and caramel sweetness. Medium carbonation with medium body. Good stuff, I look forward to trying it with a bit more age on it.

Pours cloudy brown with a nearly tan head. Cherrybomb aroma, with nice oak and bourbon. Taste is heavily cherries, but nice brown sugar, nuts, sour yeast, and alcohol round it out so it is not overwhelming. Good bourbon and cognac flavors come through as it warms. I know it says this is a Strong Ale, but it drinks like a liquer.

A murky dark brown, bordering on black, with a very thin light brown head. Leaves spots of lacing down the glass.

An incredibly rich and complex aroma: tart sourness, rich and sweet cherries, earth and wood, some vanilla, and other dark fruits like raisins, prunes, and figs complement the rest of the beer incredibly well.

Sweet cherries are the first thing on the palette, along with a blisteringly tart sourness, Brett funk, along with some mild roast and char, and a warming, complementary wood and vanilla backbone. Exceptional.

Medium bodied with ample carbonation.

One of my favorite beers ever. This was a very good year. I would love to try another 2009 at some point.